Allen's Alley Stratford

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Allen's Alley Stratford

A hidden passage through Stratford's musical soul. Preserving the past. Renewing the future. Downtown Stratford, Ontario

23/04/2026

Look closely at these walls.

The John Boyden mural has been tagged. The Perth County Conspiracy mural has been covered in graffiti. Paint is cracking and lifting across multiple panels throughout the alley.

But some of the damage goes further than spray paint.

Dayna Manning’s mural, a portrait of one of Stratford’s most beloved musicians, has been defaced in a way that is deeply disrespectful to her and to this community. Loreena McKennitt’s portrait has had her eyes spray painted over.

These are not anonymous images. They are portraits of real women. Real artists. People who belong to this city.

Allen’s Alley sits within Stratford’s Heritage Conservation District. The art on these walls is part of who we are as a community. Working with and the City of Stratford Heritage Committee, we are committed to seeing it properly restored, protected, and renewed.

This is exactly why the work matters.

Walk through Allen’s Alley and see it for yourself. Then tell us in the comments what you think should happen next.

21/04/2026

Long before DIY music culture had a name, Stratford had Soylent Green.

Though Soylent Green were made up of modest individuals their contribution to the Stratford music scene was anything but. Releasing independent albums on cassette and curating a compilation CD chronicling the scene of the mid-1990s, they took the DIY ethic to heart and provided a blueprint for other local bands to follow.

The alley remembers them.

Did you grow up listening to Stratford bands in the 1990s? Tell us about it below.

16/04/2026

Not every great Stratford band went platinum. Some just went loud.

The Wheezing Dogz were Stratford's first seminal no-wave art-punk band, performing at galleries, stage parties, and warehouse events in 1978 and 1979. They released two 7-inch EPs, reformed in the mid-1980s as the Leotard Geeks, and members continued to perform across the city for years.

They are part of this city's underground musical DNA.

Did you ever see The Wheezing Dogz or Leotard Geeks perform? Share your story.

14/04/2026

Born and raised right here in Stratford.

Dayna Manning picked up a guitar young and never put it down. She was signed to EMI at 16, nominated for a Juno Award for Best New Artist, and has spent her career building something rare: a body of work that is entirely and unmistakably her own.

She is still here. Still making music. Still part of this community.

That matters.

Have you seen Dayna Manning perform? Share your favourite memory below.

09/04/2026

She moved to Stratford in 1981. She has never left.

Loreena McKennitt arrived from Manitoba and made Stratford her home. What followed was a career spanning nearly two decades of gold and platinum albums, international touring, and a sound so distinctly her own that it carved out an entirely new genre of music.

She is one of ours. And she belongs on this wall.

Are you a Loreena McKennitt fan? Share your favourite memory or album in the comments.

07/04/2026

In 1957, three Stratford teenagers formed a band in a basement on Queen Street.

Richard Manuel, Ken Kalmusky, and John Till were 14 and 15 years old. They had no idea that Richard would go on to play with Bob Dylan, or that John Till would join Janis Joplin's last band in 1969.

It started right here. In this city. In a basement.

This is The Revols.

Did you know Stratford was home to The Revols? Share this with a music lover.

03/04/2026

1988. A plaque was placed on the wall of Allen's Alley by the City Centre Committee to mark what this passage had always been: a piece of Stratford's living history.

Originally a route to the livery stables. Named after Allen's Fruit Market, which stood at 56 Wellington Street from 1915 to 1942. Now a gallery for some of the most talented musicians to ever emerge from a Canadian small town.

Some places hold more history than they let on.

What is your favourite piece of Stratford history? Share it below.

01/04/2026

There is a hidden passageway in the heart of downtown Stratford. If you know, you know.

Allen’s Alley has been part of this city’s story since 1915, when it served as a passage to the livery stables behind the Wellington Street hotels. Today it is home to some of the most remarkable public art in Ontario, celebrating the musicians who shaped Stratford’s extraordinary cultural identity.

We are here to make sure that story is never forgotten.

Do you have a memory of Allen’s Alley? We would love to hear it in the comments.

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